Maintainance workshop Aachen-West.

The former mainainance workshop, Bahnbetriebswerk, in short "BW", is situated at far most north-west of the railway yard on the Süsterveld and can be easily reached from the streetside. "Est" on the façade of the building is short for : Einsatzstelle ! The BW was taken in use at the same time with the station in 1910 by the Königlich-Preußische-Eisenbahn-Verwaltung, in short KPEV.

At this spot the steamlocomotives were provided with charcoal. two tracks went up the hill, one to bring up the coal cars , on the other track was a crane. In the beginnings the coal was tippered with buckets, so called hunten, into the tender , later a steel funnel was built, also called a cradlebunker.
March 31, 2007

Detail of the wall of the coalbunker installation.
March 31, 2007

 

A picture of the personel shed on the bunker.
March 31, 2007

Personel shed on the coalbunker installation......
May 12, 2008

.....which burnt to the ground last year spontaneously.
May 12, 2008

View from the coalbunker in the direction of Post R2.
May 12, 2008

Still here is the sandtower, which was also used for diesel-locomotives for a long time. In front a washing place. On the cranes one can read a sign that says that cooling water was refilled here!
March 31, 2007

In 1986 at this place the watercrane for the steamlocos still existed.
Aug 2, 1986  (thanks to Peter Cooper)

 
1. : Coach house.
2. : Furnishing storehouse, the furniture works are behind it.
3. : Connection between coach house and shed.
4. : Locomotive shed
5. : Turntable.

Coach house with three railconnections.
March 31, 2007

Coach house from the side.
March 31, 2007

Backside of the coach house.
March 31, 2007

Furnishing storehouse seen from the turntable.
March 31, 2007

Furnishing storehouse seen from the mainline.
March 31, 2007

The furniture works.
March 31, 2007

The connection between locomotive shed and coach house, could have been a canteen.
March 31, 2007

The locomotive shed held 15 tracks. In the midst of the 80th a great part collapsed during a heavy storm. What was left was a six-track shed which was closed off at one side with steel plates.
March 31, 2007

Long after the steamlocos were disappeared the shed was still in use on behalf of the maintainance of the diesellocos........right behind the shunter you still see a tender !!
2 Aug 1986

Nowadays the whole shed is closed off with perforated steel plates, a bit of light shining through. Through a peephole i could take this shot of the inner space.
March 31, 2007

Locomotive shed from the streetside, one can see the steel wall, with this the side was closed after the storm.
March 31, 2007

Locomotive shed from the streetside.
March 31, 2007

Locomotive shed from the backside, the big chimney is demolished.
March 31, 2007

The office building of the workshop.
March 31, 2007

An overview of the turntable.
March 31, 2007

Detail of the turntable with rail.
March 31, 2007

Box on the turntable. It was moved mechanicaly with help of a steel cable.
March 31, 2007

Bridge on the turntable.
March 31, 2007

No buffers, but curled rails had to prevent the locomotives from derailing by accident.
March 31, 2007

DB 215 123-1 on the turntable.
April 4, 1987

DB 215 013-4 on the turntable.
May 29, 1989

The tracks leading to the disappeared part of the shed. On the place this part of the shed stood, momentarily eathworks are carried out. The whole place is under preservation, could it be a hopeful sign ?
March 31, 2007

A last view in direction of Laurensberg ends our little walk.
March 31, 2007

Nico Spilt visited Aachen-West in 1970.
Compare the pictures !

H.J.Vos
2002/2008

Highly recommended is the Website of Guido Rademacher with historical pictures !!

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